A LIFE’S TRAGEDY
Chapter Four
When I awoke the next morning, I
was overcome by laughter, remembering that Dawson would be joining us for
dinner. This should be very interesting. I couldn’t wait.
I got dressed quickly, wearing a
black suit, black overcoat, and hat. I headed out into the hall. I spotted
Trudy right away.
"Excuse me. Have you seen
Miss DeWitt Bukater this morning?" I asked.
"Yes, sir. She went to find
that nice young lad who helped her. Said she wanted to thank him," she
replied.
I nodded. She walked down the
hall, carrying a bundle of sheets.
No need to find her, I reassured myself. After all, the man had
been of great assistance to us. Our gratitude was in order.
I left to go to the boat deck, to
take in the morning air and beautiful ocean.
"Let go!" I heard a
child scream. I turned in that direction to see the Master-at-Arms pulling a
third class girl by the arm.
Mr. Parker, self-made
millionaire, followed closely behind. Normally, I would have disregarded all of
what I was seeing, the cruelty he was doing to this girl. His strong hands
wrapped tightly around her tiny wrists. Tears streamed down her face.
I knew this girl. I followed
them, trying to place where I had seen her.
"Please let go! Where’s my
mommy?" she was screaming. Then I remembered the woman from third class.
The beauty I had seen the night before. This was her child.
I hurried up to them. "Say,
man, what’s going on here?" I asked.
They stopped and turned to me.
"Hello, Mr. Hockley," came the Master-at-Arms’ reply.
"She stole a brand new toy
from my little boy. She’s a thief, a bloody thief, I tell you!" Mr.
Parker’s voice was full of anger.
The girl struggled to get away. I
leaned down. "Shh." I tried to calm her down. Then I stood and looked
at the man holding her. "Let her go," I said, without emotion.
"Are you mad? Filth like her
should be locked in a cage," Mr. Parker said.
I glared at him. "She’s a
person, too. Granted, not a very good one. But that’s not our concern."
"Sorry, sir. But I have to
take her into custody until her mother is informed," the Master-at-Arms
announced.
I looked down at the girl, no
more than seven years old. Crystal blue eyes, and blonde hair--very close to
her mother.
I reached into my pocket and
pulled out a roll of money. I handed it to Mr. Parker. "I believe this
should cover the damages."
He looked at me, then angrily
walked away.
"Well, that’s all well and
good, sir, but I still have to take her," he said.
I cleared my throat and thought
for a moment. The little girl stared up at me, perhaps overwhelmed by my
generosity.
"I’ll take her to her
mother," I said, again not letting any emotion show in my voice.
"But, sir, you’ll have to go
down to steerage." He tried to talk me out of it.
"I know that! I’m not an
idiot," I said angrily. "Now, leave us be."
He nodded suspiciously, removing
his hands from the child.
I leaned down again. "What’s
your name?" I asked.
"I’m not supposed to talk to
strangers," was her reply.
I had to smile at this.
"Well, think of it this way. I’m a new friend. My name is Caledon
Hockley." She laughed a bit. I assumed she had never heard such a proper
name. "Call me Cal, then." I smiled.
"I’m Melissa!" she said
brightly.
"Well, Melissa, do you know
where to find your mommy?" I asked.
She nodded and starting walking
down the deck. We came to stairs which I had never used, nor ever wanted to
use.
When we reached the bottom, she
tried to take my hand. I jumped back reflexively. After all, her hands were
filthy. I didn’t want to touch her, really, but I saw the pained expression in
her child doll’s face. I rolled my eyes and took hold of her hand.
She smiled and started walking
faster. I was appalled by the lower level--hundreds of doors. When we passed an
open one, I was able to see inside--four bunks in a tiny, enclosed space. Such
a waste of space on the Titanic. It should have been completely built of
first class rooms, I thought.
How could the passengers be
happy here? I asked
myself as we passed several people. They turned to stare at me, as though I was
breaking into their little world, when all I wanted was to get out of there.
"Melissa!" I heard a
woman call. "Where are you?"
She stopped and looked up at me.
"That’s my mommy," she said sadly.
I was confused. "What’s
wrong?" I asked.
"She’s going to be
mad." She sighed. Then I remembered she had stolen from a first class man.
"There you are!" She
ran up to us, taken aback by my presence, I knew. "I’m so sorry," she
said frantically. She took her daughter’s hand. "It’ll never happen
again."
I shook my head.
"She won’t bother you
anymore. I promise," she said again.
"No, no. It’s fine. Listen,
I never caught your name last night." She was even more radiant now that I
was within feet of her, staring into her eyes and hearing her voice.
"Why do you want to know my
name?" she asked.
I laughed. "Because I just
handed out fifty dollars for a stolen toy. The least you can do is tell me your
name."
She looked at her daughter
angrily. "Go to our room," she ordered.
"No. I didn’t mean it was a
problem or anything." I tried to remain gentlemanly, even in these extreme
conditions.
She watched her daughter
disappear. "Look, I’m sorry for whatever she stole. I’ll find a way to pay
you back, sir."
"That’s not necessary,"
I quickly shot back. "Just tell me your name."
"Catherine de Louise,"
she reluctantly answered. She had an accent. It was French, I finally
recognized.
"Caledon Hockley." I
held out my hand for her to shake.
She slowly did the same.
"How can I ever thank you enough?" she asked.
I waved a hand dismissively, then
turned to leave. I had to get away from these people. Her beauty was
intoxicating, but these surroundings were unbearable.
When I turned back, she was gone.
I didn’t know if I would see Catherine or the child doll, Melissa, again. I was
glad I had helped them out, but now it was time for me to return to my world.